What 1958 teleplay helped convince CBS to pursue The Twilight Zone as a series?

The 1958 teleplay that helped convince CBS to pursue The Twilight Zone as a series was “The Time Element.” Rod Serling originally wrote it as a pilot concept for a science-fiction and fantasy anthology, but CBS initially shelved the script.

Producer Bert Granet later found the script in CBS’s files and arranged for it to be produced on Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. The story follows Peter Jenson, played by William Bendix, who repeatedly dreams that he is in Honolulu before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and tries unsuccessfully to warn people.

The broadcast on November 24, 1958, drew enthusiastic reviews and more than 6,000 letters of praise. Its success demonstrated that Serling could use speculative fiction for serious drama, suspense, and social commentary. CBS resumed discussions with him, eventually accepting “Where Is Everybody?” as the actual pilot for The Twilight Zone, which premiered in 1959.